Adjuster for a vehicle seat

• US 20040066077A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adient Luxembourg Holding S.A R.L. (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Keiper GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Petry, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 6,902,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/367
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1685 characterised by a lock
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/169 Stepwise movement mechanisms, e.g. ratchets B60N2/167 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/206 to a position in which it can be used as a support for objects, e.g. as a tray
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/30 Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3065 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/309 rods

Abstract

In an adjuster (101) for a vehicle seat, particularly an automobile seat, having a first adjuster part (105) and a second adjuster part (108) which are pivotable relative to one another, thus allowing the vehicle seat to pivot between at least one use position and one non-use position, a pawl (115) pivotably borne on the first adjuster part (105) interacts with at least one single locking element (118, 132) of the second adjuster part (108) to lock the adjuster (101), wherein the pawl (115) locks the adjuster (101) in the use position as well as in the non-use position.

Claims

1. An adjuster for a vehicle seat, the adjuster comprising:

a first adjuster part and a second adjuster part that are mounted for there being relative pivoting therebetween, by way of which at least part of the vehicle seat can be pivoted at least between a first position and a second position; and

a pawl that is pivotably borne on the first adjuster part and includes at least;

a first mouth that releasably cooperates with a first locking element of the second adjuster part so that the pawl locks the adjuster in the first position, and

a second mouth that releasably cooperates with a second locking element of the second adjuster part so that the pawl locks the adjuster in the second position,

wherein the first mouth and the second mouth are open in the same direction with reference to pivoting movement of the pawl.

2. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the first position is a use position of the vehicle seat and the second position is a non-use position of the vehicle seat.

3. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein, with reference to the first adjuster part:

the pawl is arranged in a locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the first position, and

the pawl is also arranged in said locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the second position.

4. An adjuster according to claim 3, further comprising securing elements for securing the pawl in said locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the first position, with the same securing elements securing the pawl in said locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the second position.

5. An adjuster according to claim 1, further comprising an activation element for unlocking the adjuster from the first position, with the same activation element unlocking the adjuster from the second position.

6. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the second locking element is separate from the first locking element.

7. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein:

the first and second mouths, with respect to the pivoting movement of the pawl, are respectively arranged on different sides of the pawl, and

each of the first and second locking elements is a bolt.

8. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein:

the first locking element is positioned so that when the vehicle seat is transitioned to the first position, the first locking element comes into contact with the pawl and moves the pawl into a locking position so that the first mouth is in receipt of the first locking element and thereby the adjuster is locked in the first position, and

the second locking element is positioned so that when the vehicle seat is transitioned to the second position, the second locking element comes into contact with the pawl and moves the pawl into said locking position so that the second mouth is in receipt of the second locking element and thereby the adjuster is locked in the second position.

9. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein:

the adjuster has four pivotable joints by way of which there can be the relative pivoting between the first and second adjuster parts and the vehicle seat can be pivoted from the first position, in which the vehicle seat is for being sat on, to the second position, which is a flat floor position,

the first adjuster part is a first leg which is upright while the vehicle seat is in the first position, and

the second adjuster part is connected between the first leg and a second leg of the adjuster, with the second leg being upright while the vehicle seat is in the first position.

10. An adjuster according to claim 9, wherein the adjuster includes a link which is pivotably connected to the second leg at one of the pivotable joints, the second adjuster part is fixedly attached to the link, and the second adjuster part is pivotably connected to the first leg at another of the pivotable joints.

11. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the adjuster is in combination with the vehicle seat.

12. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the first and second mouths, with respect to the pivoting movement of the pawl, are respectively arranged on different sides of the pawl.

13. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the first and second locking elements are distant from one another and each of the first and second locking elements is a bolt.

14. An adjuster according to claim 3, wherein:

the first locking element is a first bolt positioned so that when the vehicle seat is transitioned to the first position, the first bolt comes into contact with the pawl and moves the pawl into said locking position so that the first mouth is in receipt of the first bolt and thereby the adjuster is locked in the first position, and

the second locking element is a second bolt positioned so that when the vehicle seat is transitioned to the second position, the second bolt comes into contact with the pawl and moves the pawl into said locking position so that the second mouth is in receipt of the second bolt and thereby the adjuster is locked in the second position.

15. An adjuster according to claim 1, wherein:

the first adjuster part is for being connected to a seat frame of the vehicle seat, and

the second adjuster part is for being connected to a backrest of the vehicle seat, for allowing the backrest to pivot relative to the seat frame between the first and second positions, with the backrest extending upright from the seat frame in the first position, so that a user can sit in the seat, and the second position being achieved by pivoting the backrest away from the first position by pivoting the backrest relative to the seat frame.

16. An adjuster for a vehicle seat, the adjuster comprising:

a first adjuster part and a second adjuster part that are mounted for there being relative pivoting therebetween, by way of which at least part of the vehicle seat can be pivoted at least between a first position and a second position, with the relative pivoting at least including pivoting of the second adjuster part relative to the first adjuster part; and

a pawl that is pivotably borne on the first adjuster part and releasably cooperates with;

a first bolt of the second adjuster part to lock the adjuster in the first position, with the locking in the first position being at least partially responsive to pivoting of the second adjuster, and

a second bolt of the second adjuster part to lock the adjuster in the second position, with the locking in the second position being at least partially responsive to pivoting of the second adjuster.

17. An adjuster according to claim 16, wherein, with reference to the first adjuster part:

the pawl is arranged in a locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the first position, and

the pawl is also arranged in said locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the second position.

18. An adjuster according to claim 17, further comprising:

securing elements for securing the pawl in said locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the first position, with the same securing elements securing the pawl in said locking position while the pawl locks the adjuster in the second position; and

an activation element for unlocking the adjuster from the first position, with the same activation element unlocking the adjuster from the second position.

19. An adjuster according to claim 17, wherein:

a first mouth of the pawl receives the first bolt to lock the adjuster in the first position, and

a second mouth of the pawl receives the second bolt to lock the adjuster in the second position.

20. An adjuster according to claim 19, wherein:

the first bolt is positioned so that when the vehicle seat is transitioned to the first position, the first bolt comes into contact with the pawl and moves the pawl into said locking position so that the first mouth is in receipt of first bolt and thereby the adjuster is locked in the first position, and

the second bolt is positioned so that when the vehicle seat is transitioned to the second position, the second bolt comes into contact with the pawl and moves the pawl into said locking position so that the second mouth is in receipt of the second bolt and thereby the adjuster is locked in the second position.